With reference to the report Give up hudud, Islamic state if Chinese votes are treasured, DAP tells PAS , DAP seems to have missed the big picture.

DAP and Lim Kit Siang fail to see that for both seats, PAS had managed to regain about the same number of votes that they had obtained in the 1999 general elections (Anak Bukit: -182 votes and Pendang: + 412 votes).

This feat is achieved in spite of the uneven ground that favours Barisan Nasional and Umno with the massive misuse of government apparatus and the media coupled with the allegations of phantom voters.

Umno controls all the major dailies, TV and radio stations. Opinion-making powers are monopolised by Umno, while PAS can only rely on house-to-house visits, ceramah (public talks) and pamphlets.

In addition, if we take Lim's claim — that PAS had failed to regain the Chinese Malaysian support they had obtained in the last general election — to be true, then it is only fair to say that PAS' gain from the Malay electorate has actually increased to make up for the loss in the Chinese ground.

My point being that given the circumstances against PAS and Barisan Alternatif, and with the issues being perceived to be more favourable to BN than PAS, the Malay ground actually increased , not dwindled for PAS. The small difference in votes garnered by PAS compared with those obtained in the 1999 general election testified to this.

There is no official statistical figures given but I estimate PAS' gain to be no less than five percent in the Malay electorate.

However, due to the fall of non-Muslims' votes, the increase is even out. Otherwise, it would be impossible for PAS to regain the same number of votes and in fact increase the number in Pendang.

It's clear that the Malay/Muslims have found the hudud (Islamic penal code) issue in favour of PAS and that they are willing to change their allegiance from Umno to PAS on this.

It also says that PAS is actually fulfilling its promise to the Malay constituents and the Malay voters are reciprocating by lending their support to PAS.

The question for the DAP is: How is it going to gain the Malay vote in the next general election?

Based on the Ketari by-election figures, the support for DAP has actually gone down to the level that they were at in the 1995 general election.

DAP's stand against hudud and the Islamic state declaration makes it unpopular with the Malay/Muslim voters. Add this to the dwindling support from the Chinese Malaysian voters, DAP's future is seriously in doubt.

What's for sure is that PAS and BA have actually gained from the hudud and qisas issue and there is nothing that the anti- hudud media and political parties can do to change that now. It's how the DAP deals with this new phenomenon that's actually the issue here.